About the 4th holiday, feeling joyous or happy or proud, about happiness in general in these times
I have to admit - and I am typically a VERY optimistic person - this is such a slog. Not being the least big patriotic anyway (my feelings on this - we didn't get to choose where we were born, and we weren't around when our country was founded - so I don't get the "pride thing" on holidays like the 4th. Proud of...what, exactly? I am pleased to live here, I am delighted to be in a wonderful 41 year marriage with my still best, dearest friend, I love my daughters, I take delight in my dogs....but, no, not pride.)
I know we were supposed to feel "things" yesterday, whether pride, patriotism, whateverism. But...not here. My wife and I had a quiet day, watered the garden, cooked a nice meal, spent time in the hammock, took a nap - but then I came here and saw the breaking news on the shooter at the parade. That really sealed it.
I know I am a liberal because I see us all connected as people. It is hard to be joyous when there are so many guns, so many people hurting, people lying dead or bloody in the street just because they wanted to go have fun at a fucking parade! The Roe decision....the other SC decisions (the one impacting climate change) - it is feeling too large.
All I know is that it is hard to be happy when there is so much dysfunction in this country right now. Sure, I can have a happy moment, doing what I love with who I love. But...the undercurrent of sadness is there. It isn't exactly hopelessness (yet) - but, as I've said many times here before, it is hard right now to see a way through this avalanche of shit being dumped on us by conservatives/liars/gun nuts/religious fanatics/assholes.
Anyway - I will disparage no one for finding their joy in however they find it. But...I found nothing particularly joyous about yesterday.
